Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Tile and slate roofing in Rancho Santa Margarita
Tile roofs fail from underneath. The tile you are looking at can be in perfect condition over underlayment that gave up a decade ago.
Describe the tile and slate job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Rancho Santa Margarita contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Rancho Santa Margarita and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a tile and slate job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- The condition and age of the underlayment beneath
- Fastener specification, especially near salt air
- What percentage of tile breakage they expect and how it is priced
- Whether battens are being replaced at the same time
- Whether the tile can be salvaged and relaid
Walking a tile roof breaks tile. That is not carelessness, it is physics, and any honest contractor will tell you a small percentage will be lost and replaced.
Slate wants copper or stainless fasteners and a crew who has done it before. Steel nails on a slate roof is a hundred-year covering held down by a thirty-year fixing.
Underlayment life under tile is typically twenty to thirty years. The tile above it is rated for fifty or more. Plan for one relay in the life of the roof.
Locally
The second problem is morning fog that sits on the roof until mid-morning. Damp that arrives every morning and leaves by lunchtime is worse for a roof than rain, because nothing ever fully dries between one and the next.
About tile and slate here
Do you cover the whole Orange County area?
Yes. The contractors we match on cover Rancho Santa Margarita and the surrounding towns, so if you are just outside the city limits it still works.
Can I stay in the house while it is done?
Most people do. Expect noise from early morning, dust in the attic, and a day where the driveway belongs to the crew.
What warranty should I expect?
Two separate things. The manufacturer covers the material for its rated life, but only if it was installed to their specification. The contractor covers workmanship, commonly five to ten years, and only for as long as they are trading.
I rent. Can I use this?
You can submit it, but the owner has to authorise any work, so the useful move is to get the landlord to make the request or to give you permission in writing first. Contractors will not start work for a tenant.
Start with a free estimate
No cost, no obligation, and never more than three contractors.